Switches and other controls for electronic devices are normally discrete component assemblies. Separate interconnections must be made from the control component to the rest of the electronic device, usually contained on a printed circuit board (PCB). These interconnections can consume available space that is often at a premium in small electronic devices such as portable radios. Moreover, making these interconnections complicates the assembly process, and creates the possibility of quality problems caused by PCB contamination and contact failure.
Switches that operate using light to control an apparatus are known (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,015,253), however such approaches consume as much space as the interconnections that are replaced (if any are replaced) and are relatively difficult to manufacture. Thus, a need exists for a switch that can be easily manufactured and consumes a small portion of the apparatus in which it is contained.